Mikaela asked me to tell the following story:

Mikaela is a Webkinz connoisseur. She has collected MANY over the last two years. She has been asking us to award her with a Webkinz snake. She had earned it by getting numerous A's on her report card. When we went to buy the snake, the stores in the area were out of them. They are, apparently, a very desired item. One of the cashiers at a local store called another store of the same chain and found out they had a few snakes. They told us they would send some to the Bellingham store. We asked them to put one on hold when they got one in. It came in yesterday, and I went to get it, unbeknownst to Mikaela.

When Mikaela came home from school, I called downstairs to her (trying to use my "Mom's-frantic-something's-wrong-voice") and said, "Mikaela, I think the cat has been in your room and left something on your bed!" She came running up the stairs, saying, "Gross! Who let the cat in my room?" I grabbed her arm and said, "Oh, my! It's a snake!" Then I grabbed her and screamed. She hugged me and looked past me. She saw that it was the toy snake. Then she started laughing. She thought it was great that I tricked her like that. To tell the truth, I was trying not to laugh the whole time I was doing it.

The boys were home and were caught up in it as well. I think Braden was really relieved, because when I said that the cat had left something on Mikaela's bed, he immediately went into his room to make sure that nothing was left in his room. Moms can be so much fun!